Hazard
by Kye Above
Summary: (Dark Fic) In June of 2034, one of Canada's provinces revealed the existence of personifications to the world, and Canada was the one who was blamed. Now Canada is left alone in a savage land, cut off from the rest of the world, where the only way to survive is to kill those he once cared for. All because of the death of one little boy.
1. Never Good News

**While the first chapters won't be very dark, expect all feelings of hope to disappear soon.**

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><p><em>Part 1, Chapter 1 - Never Good News<em>

_June 14, 2034_

_10:44 a.m._

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><p>Canada whined as his violet eyes picked apart the article that had been brought up on his computer screen, looking for reasons to believe that what he had found was coincidental and not at all a cause of worry. Personifications of countries and other regions? It had been thought of before in the past by many people, but all of them had been made up and used in metaphorical ways and as mascots. Canada himself would never believe them to be real if he wasn't one himself.<p>

Canada had reason to be afraid though, as the further he got in, the more he noticed. It was very well written, he had to admit. Clearly, the writer had a good source, as the article often cited official documents that Canada knew to exist, many of which he had handled and signed himself. It told of him, and the provinces and regions that had all resided with him throughout his entire history, as well as normal people who had a lot of interaction with them. And there were pictures and sketches of most of them, throughout his history. Canada actually started crying a bit at the sight of some of his old war friends.

He only got halfway through, before he skimmed to the very bottom, intending to read the comments and see how many people actually believed it was possible. But the last sentences caught his eye, and he found himself shaking.

_There is a good reason to believe that our country is not the only one with immortal men fighting in and starting our wars and making decisions best left to the people, most likely thinking that they deserve to have all the glory, simply because of what they are._

_Now the question is, do we continue to turn a blind eye to their actions, or do we fight for the right to live as we want?_

He was pale, but hopeful. Surely, his public wouldn't believe an article published on a news site known for it's inaccurate and unintentional satire, despite how well written and convincing it was. They should know better, as only the Americans fell for news like this. But his hopes were quickly dashed when he made it down to the comment section. A majority of them believed. Most of those didn't defend him.

This was not good at all.

"Maple~ Kumakuro, this is horrible." He cried to the small white polar bear, who sat beside Canada with his head on the nation's uncovered leg. Kumajirou did nothing to show that he had heard, even though he had. The polar bear only looked up when Canada started moving, trying to see if he could find his cellphone. "I need to call my boss!" Canada found it stuffed in the corner of the couch he sat on, and let out a thankful breath.

Since Kumajirou had been made uncomfortable by all the moving Canada had done, he decided to look at the screen, since his master had only started acting strange after he'd been on his laptop. Kumajirou couldn't read that well, and since all the pictures were higher up the article, he had no things to tell him what was going on. He pawed at the screen, asking Canada what it was. For once, Canada didn't reply, as his call directed to the right line just then.

"Canada," Luke Kneller, the newest man to be known as the Prime Minister of Canada, started speaking before Canada could even speak a word. Understandable, as the line was only for him, so Kneller would know it was the country. "I've guess you've heard. I was _just _about to call you, and I would have called earlier, but I was already getting called by other world leaders, asking me what the hell _I _was thinking. The American President was especially accusing. Well, I never liked him anyway!" He suddenly coughed, realizing that he had gotten off track.

"People from other countries are already finding out?!" This was bad. It would be even harder to contain it now. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, as this was the age of 'Sharing'. He suddenly groaned, realizing something. "The other Nations are going to blame _me _for this, eh? Why couldn't I be invisible like I used to be?" At a time like then, he wished that he hadn't gotten the recognition he'd wanted so badly in the past. If he had known what would happen, he would have been content with just interacting with the provinces and former territories, even that insane bastard Quebec, and occasionally America and Mexico.

"This will be a hard time for all of us. We may get out of this unscathed, we might not." Kneller said solemnly, and Canada heard the crinkling of papers, something rare in the modern age. He must have dug out old documents. "Before you ask, no, we do not have a concrete lead as to how that woman was able to get her hands on confidential documents accessible by only few people in the government, and..." He paused, not sure how Canada would react. But Canada didn't need to be told who else had access. He knew, and he clenched his fists, feeling betrayed.

"...and by me, and the Provinces." He finished, their faces flashing through his mind. If it turned out to be one of them who had supplied the documents to the article writer, which of them could it be? Better yet, who wouldn't? The former Territories, who had been made into full Provinces ten years before seemed too unlikely, as the little family would rather stay out of everyone else's matters. Manitoba most likely wouldn't involve himself in such things either. That still left ten suspects, and he lived with one of them.

"Yes, though I'm sure you are not the one." It was good that his boss had faith in him. "We are already investigating the government employees, but it seems mandatory to interview the Provinces as well. Though, I want them all in one place before I have someone do that, even though I know all the chaos it will cause." He sighed, paper rattling once again. "Once I am done with this phone call, I will contact them all, and direct them to the Safe House. I want you there as well." Canada nodded, even though the action was unnecessary.

"Understood." Canada closed his laptop, and latched up the case in which the old thing was contained. "I assume," His voice gained a tinge of annoyance. "That I am the one who is make Ontario aware of the matter?" Kneller expressed his regrets over the matter.

"Yup...you do live with him, unfortunately, so there's no point in making another phone call." Canada hated that fact. Ever since Ottawa became the capital all the years before, Canada had to put up with Ontario on a daily basis, and some decades had been horrible to deal with. If any of the other countries knew what had gone down all the time at his house, he would have quickly lost his status as a peaceful, tolerant and polite nation

Then, there was another phone ringing in the background, breaking Canada from his thoughts. "Oh great! The President is calling again! This is what? The fifth time in an hour?!" Kneller huffed, and the sound of a head meeting a desk could be heard. "Americans! Anyway….Canada, I have to go now. I will see that all the provinces meet you at the Safe House." The call ended there, and Canada removed the phone from his ear.

He knew that he would not enjoy the next hours in any way. All the problems that had been happening in the past decades would be released and debated upon no matter what. He could already hear the confrontation between Quebec and the others, echos of fights not long past. Quebec had been the biggest problem of the last years, his desire to separate from Canada strong yet again. There was so much turmoil going on in all the provinces because of Quebec and his people. Too many deaths…

Canada shook the thoughts from his head. That wasn't the current problem. He needed to focus on what mattered at that time. He slid his laptop to the edge of the couch, before stroking Kumajirou, who had gone back to sleep after Canada had ignored him. The polar bear opened one eye.

"Who are you?" He asked, simply because it was what he was supposed to do. Canada smiled sadly, and continued petting the small animal.

"I'm Canada."

Despite everything, it would take a long time before the confused nation would realize that wouldn't always be his answer.


	2. Damned Regrets

**This will only be continued if I think it's worth it. If this story suddenly goes dead, assume it's because I put a lot of time into a chapter, but didn't get enough views for it. For this chapter, the minimum is 50 views.**

**Reviews would be nice, since it 'strangely' makes me update faster if I have ideas on what to do next.**

_Story Note: Pretend that all the Provinces are speaking in their proper accents/a combination of their people's various accents. I just can't write accents well._

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><p><em>Part 1, Chapter 2 - Damned Regrets<em>

_June 14, 2034_

_11:14 a.m._

Canada lingered outside Ontario's bedroom door for longer they he could keep track of. One moment, he would be reaching his hand out to knock on the door, the next he was holding it and shaking his head. He didn't want to see how Ontario would react, especially when he realized that Canada had started to suspect him to be the traitor. It made sense to Canada, in some way. What didn't make sense was that a personification would give away their existence in the first place, as there was no benefit that Canada could think of. Most likely, Ontario had been tricked, as it was often easy to do with him. Canada could almost forgive him for that.

With a nod and a hope that Ontario was calm about the situation, Canada finally knocked on the door. In response, he heard a string of curses, and shuffling from inside. Seconds later, the door was ruffly pulled open to reveal a shaggy haired teen, dark bags under his green eyes. He obviously hadn't gotten much sleep, if he got any at all. It wasn't likely. Canada had been slowly picking up on Ontario's recent lack of sleep, but saw no reason to care. He had been taught young to love his enemies, but he couldn't give that curtsey to Ontario.

"What do you want?" Ontario asked gruffly, shifting his tired gaze around Canada, looking for some viable sign. "I was actually trying to sleep for once!" He became more alert when Canada's neutral expression darkened and a tight frown found it's way onto his face. Without Canada having to speak a word, Ontario knew that something was very wrong. "Matthew..." He suddenly wasn't so upset at Canada anymore. Canada looked away from the strawberry blond, to hide the fear he was sure was growing in his eyes. He didn't want to seem weak.

"We're in so much trouble. More then _you _could probably understand." At first, Ontario himself seemed scared, since if Canada told you that there was trouble, it was bad. But after a seconds consideration, he shook it off, to better display another emotion. Annoyance.

"Are you insulting me? I'm not as big of an idiot as you think I am. Have you forgotten the past already? It's only been a couple centuries." He huffed when Canada didn't even bother to reply. "Okay, so what's happened? Did Sammy or Liu kill another human?" Ontario asked, using his pet names for Saskatchewan and Quebec. Canada put a hand to his head, not wanting to be reminded of that. It had probably happened, but it wasn't the matter at hand.

"No," He said, removing his hand from his face. "It's much worse. Worse then Quebec on a good day. The public knows about us, and the news is quickly spreading through the world." Ontario gasped, anger filling into his eyes, only to be replaced by sadness and regret. That look fed Canada's pet theory of Ontario being the traitor, but he decided not to comment at the time. "Get yourself presentable, please. We have to go meet the other provinces at the Safe House, by order of the Prime Minister." Looking away, Ontario stayed mute and nodded.

Canada walked away then, wanting to get away before Ontario got over his current behaviour and started being his normal self. As soon as Canada turned his back, Ontario backed into his bedroom and slammed the door. Ontario didn't want Canada to see or hear him cry. He slumped against the door, and as soon as he was sure that Canada was far away, he let the sobs building up in his throat free.

"I'm..sorry! I so, so sorry. This...is my...fault..."

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><p><em>11:40 a.m.<em>

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><p>The actual trip to the safe house was quick because of their ability to appear instantly anywhere in their own country. The ability was quite convenient, especially in times like then, but Canada always thought it would be wonderful if it allowed him to travel around outside of his country. Thankfully, there was no need to travel outside his boundaries, as the safe house was located at the end of a lonely prairie road. Standing as far apart from each other as possible while not looking like they were avoiding each other, Canada, Kumajirou and Ontario stared up at the old house, that had been rebuilt constantly over the centuries. It held many memories for all of them, and it was only then that Kumajirou realized how bad the situation really was. He whined, struggling in Canada's grasp, as his master and Ontario exchanged glares.<p>

Canada could see the signs of Ontario having had a fit of crying before they left, so it comforted he some that Ontario at least regretted his decision to betray everyone. Or maybe he had been crying because he knew he had been caught. It seemed like something America would come up with, as he rarely trusted the people he knew anymore, but it made sense to Canada. Or maybe he'd been spending too much time with America. He was spending most of his time with him. He was the only one that America would see in person and the other country was starved of attention after his people's paranoia of the other countries had gotten to him, and he'd cut off all contact with everyone else.

Canada wondered just how America was taking this. He'd have to call him later, to see if he was okay. He'd grown to like his brother much more in the past decades, though he was sure the feelings weren't returned quite as much, especially after Canada had won Alaska from him in a game of cards five years before. Canada chucked bitterly at the remembrance of the look of shock on America's face when he had won, and Alaska's excitement over finally being able to leave the USA.

He had fourteen provinces now. Fourteen people that could be the traitor, with only four of them having major doubts around them. His only true suspect was Ontario though. He once again looked at the strawberry blond as the approached the door. It had to be him. There was no one else possible. Surely, even Quebec wouldn't be as idiotic!

Before they even reached the door, it was slammed open, and a sleek young Metis man stepped into view, his eyes narrowed and his gaze directed at Ontario. Manitoba had an uncharacteristic frown on his face, and his usual friendly demeanor was gone. To see him all dark and accusing was a bit off putting, but at least Canada wasn't the only one to suspect Ontario.

"Owen, I know this was your doing." He growled, using Ontario's human name with malice. Ontario shook his head, but didn't break his eye contact with Manitoba. Manitoba's frown deepened. "You've ruined everything for us, you bitch." There was nothing Canada could do to stop Manitoba from launching himself at Ontario.

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><p><strong>Don't go blaming Ontario now. There's still much more to explain about his involvement.<strong>


	3. It's Hard To Smile

**Here's another chapter! I actually didn't plan to continue this, but I was inspired. You can thank Black Blood of the Red Rose for that inspiration.**

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><p><em>Part 1, Chapter 3 - It's Hard To Smile<em>

_June 14, 2034_

_11:45 a.m._

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><p>Manitoba didn't want to be happy anymore. He was depressed, though he couldn't show it. To everyone, he was 'Friendly Manitoba', who always had smile for others, and could always see the good in anything. He'd made it clear that he didn't care that many people honestly didn't care that some people didn't even realize he still existed. That part was very much true; his lack of popularity compared to the other provinces made for a more peaceful time. But it was also lonely, and he had few friends.<p>

Saskatchewan really had been the only constant person there for him, but for about a century now Manitoba had been deathly afraid of his friend. Something had caused Saskatchewan to snap, and it couldn't have just been his winters, because Manitoba had to bare even colder weather, and he hadn't gotten to the point where he would thoughtlessly kill any humans who dared to get near him when he was in a bad mood.

He thought he was stuck with only that, with a killer as his only friend, but then, among the events of The Toronto Crisis fifteen years before, when Quebec and his people had started their first new wave of protests, Ontario had extended a hand in friendship. Manitoba knew very well that it had only been because Ontario needed more allies in the dark times that had come, but it had at one point made him happy.

Now all he felt then was betrayal. Manitoba knew very well that it had to have been Ontario, from the moment the Prime Minister had told him about the events that had taken place. He let this be known with each punch he laid to Ontario's face. Every harsh comment that Ontario had made towards him and his People, the Metis, and the others who had came to live in his province, also fueled the hits.

Ontario made few attempts to fight back, mostly only trying to defend himself. This just angered Manitoba more. Ontario was always all about himself, even when he had been trying to fake care for others. That was how it had always been, ever since Manitoba had met him.

Canada stood to the side, watching silently as his least favourite province was beaten up by the most unlikely one. He clutched Kumajirou tightly, not sure if he should intervene. Personifications couldn't die unless what they represented was gone, but if it got too severe, Ontario could be out for days, and they needed to know whether or not he was the traitor.

He tried to ignore the fresh tears that had started to form in light green eyes, his compassion for all living things tearing him apart from the inside. He had to remind himself that it was Ontario, who at one point had more power in the country than Canada himself, and had been the one who had supported all those horrible acts the country had participated in the past.

Kumajirou wanted to help though. The blond-with-the-spiky-hair-that-stuck-up-at-the-top (Kumajirou was never good with real names or nicknames) fed him some of the best pancakes, ones that were almost as good as the one of his master. He struggled in his master's grasp, but he could not break free. His master had only held him tighter, enough that Kumajirou felt like he could soon suffocate if his master wasn't careful. "Let me go!" Kumajirou squeaked, but Canada shook his head.

"Sorry, Kumakichi. Ontario deserves this." Canada's words made Ontario freeze, and Manitoba gave him one last hard hit, sending the blond to the ground. Tears were streaming down his cheeks by then, and he was making odd sounds. The two watched him for a moment, before looking at each other. Then, Ontario chose that time to speak.

"How do you know this is all my fault?" He asked softly, more cautiously than he ever spoke. Had he been human, his face would be completely bruised then, and no doubt both of his eyes would be black, but all that he felt of it was the pain, which would hopefully go away soon. "Where's your proof?" Manitoba's response was immediate.

"All those documents referenced in the article were located in Ottawa. Any one of us could easily get in all areas, since the people there know who we are and trust us all. Except for Quebec, who they're supposed to shoot on sight. Though, I admit that the sneaky Frenchie could have found a way in." Manitoba glared down at Ontario, sneering. "But you of all of us would be stupid enough to fall for some lady reporter's tricks, because I doubt you decided to do it all on your own." Ontario made another sound, and it came out sounding like a mix between a whine and a growl.

"Don't call me stupid…" Ontario shook his head, and brought himself up to his knees. He clenched his fists, and started growling more prominently "Just because you think I'm stupid, it doesn't mean that I was the one who bitched. Has it even been confirmed it was one of us? The humans have access too, ya know!"

Ontario quickly gained back much of his gust. They shouldn't have been accusing him! He was sure of who it had been. He then frowned, much of his new found anger leaving him, his body sagging slightly. He had a good idea who it was, and he had surely been the cause behind the theft. But he couldn't bring himself to tell. Even if he told them, there was a high chance that he wouldn't be believed.

"True…" Manitoba muttered, before taking in a deep breath. Maybe he had been too quick to accuse, but he knew he wasn't the only one who thought Ontario was the sneak. Canada would have spoken up against the abuse, even though it was Ontario, if he thought that the strawberry blond was innocent.

Canada finally loosened his grip on Kumajirou, who used the opportunity to get out of Canada's arms and run over to Ontario, who took him up in a hug. Ontario buried his face in the small polar bear's white fur, while Canada and Manitoba stared at each other.

"He does have a point…I think?" Canada admitted, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. Manitoba shared the feeling. "I mean, yeah, the article originated in his province, and he has been a bit love starved ever since New York left him…" He could guess exactly what the reporter would have promised Ontario. "But we really don't know much, do we?"

"The Prime Minister didn't say much when he called me." Manitoba shrugged his shoulders. "Just the basics." Manitoba looked down at Ontario again, who hadn't removed his face from the bear's fur. He was shaking, like he was trying to keep back sobs. "But if Ontario's reaction is any indication, even if he isn't the traitor, he knows something." Canada found himself quickly agreeing. Ontario wasn't normally some cry-baby.

"Yeah…" Canada searched for words. This was all happening so fast. "Is anyone else here?" Hopefully Quebec wasn't there already. He needed some more time to find a way to keep a fight between him and everyone from breaking out. But Manitoba shook his head.

"No, I was the only one in the house. I decided not to take my time getting here, even though I knew everyone else would take a while." He smiled slightly. "I made some coffee just before you two arrived. Timmy's brand, by the way. You want some, Matthew?" Canada nodded quickly, before looking down at Ontario again.

"Ontario, are you going to stay outside?" Ontario looked up, his eyes wide, but dead at the same time. The green eyed teen shook his head, before slowly standing up, holding Kumajirou like Canada would.

"I'll come inside. But I'm not talking to either of you until everyone else arrives." He pushed past the two personifications, holding Kumajirou close. The polar bear didn't protest, and snuggled into the hold. Canada and Manitoba were still for a bit, until each took a breath and followed behind, deciding that it really was a matter that had to wait.

The personifications looked everywhere but each other, an awkwardness surrounding them. Kumajirou was the only one who saw anything wrong with this. They were normally so chatty. Kumajirou wasn't even sure what was going on, because no one had even told him. He tried to think of why they would be mad at the one carrying him.

There was only one thing that came to mind, but he wasn't sure how a 'lady reporter' or 'documents from Ottawa' fit into it all. The blond-with-the-spiky-hair-that-stuck-up-at-the-top hadn't mentioned any of those things when he had tearfully told Kumajirou that he had killed a child.


End file.
